mr-universe-au

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*Phew!*

Sorry for the random bout of sample-posts flooding everyone’s dashboards early this morning, but I was doing some heavy-duty renovating!

The AU blog has a new look!

I spent about...11+ hours of going all the way back through 30+ pages of code, and pretty much re-creating my entire theme almost from scratch! I wanted it to be a bit easier to read, a lot easier on the eyes, and a little more unique.

Colors are still a work in progress, but I’m pretty satisfied with it. Tell me what you think! Let me know if something doesn’t quite look right, or if it’s borked on someone’s screen!

#Mr Universe AU #Mr-Universe-AU #Mr Universe AU Mun Talks #Blog Shenanigans #SO MUCH CODE #The code I started with was #So Bad #You're not supposed to be able to tell multiple people wrote the base code y'all #I may as well have wrote this thing from the ground-up #It would've been faster... #...and cleaner. #And what the hell y'all #I got like 50 likes on those sample posts #WHY WERE ANY OF YOU UP AT LIKE 4AM #I THOUGHT I WAS SAFE #NO ONE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE AWAKE TO SEE MY BLOG A MESS

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(Art: Digitally lined and colored Spinel, after his redesign)

A/N: This took a bit longer than it really should have, but I was trying to make it look nice. This is a MUCH better version of what I had designed before. It just needed a little tweaking, and a good “push” in the right direction style-wise.

I had to do this in several steps, and I’m not used to pushing a design that hard. It’s been a fun challenge! And I think I have a better idea of what I’m doing AU-wise, now.

Spinel’s style here is, as many may notice, pretty hard-inspired by the “emo/scene” look that centered around a particular genre (or two) of music from the early 2000s. I’m really tempted to try to softly-theme each character around a particular genre, just SLIGHTLY more than I have already. After all, it’s pretty relevant in this AU!

#Mr Universe AU #Mr-Universe-AU #Mr Universe AU Design Posts #Gem Greg #Human Rose #Spinel #Steven Universe AU #SU AU #Spinel 2: Electric Boogaloo #This took me 4-5 hours even once the basic sketch was done #Send help

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(Art: A pink-and-brown maned wolf, with very obviously long legs.)

A/N: Now, who was it that wanted to meet Nora’s Pink Animal Companion? :3c

I owe you all this one from a while ago! For those who wanted to see the animal that Quartz encountered (young and hurt) while out in the wild, this is the AU’s “Lion!”

We won’t have to wait long to be introduced to this girl, as Lion’s episode pops up pretty early in the series! I’m churning out Chapter One as we speak, and I’ll have it uploaded as soon as it’s finished.

Let me know if there’s anything specific you wanna see!

#Mr Universe AU #Mr-Universe-AU #Mr Universe AU Design Posts #Gem Greg #Human Rose #Lion #Maned Wolf #Pink Animal Companion #SU AU #Steven Universe AU #It's a Long Boi #Neither Nora or the gems are gonna have any flippin clue what this is when they see it

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CREDIT: https://www.deviantart.com/akyrakanton/art/KH-Stained-Glass-Template-186773168

(Art: KH-Crossover, Nora’s Station of Awakening. Animated, 3D design, and 2D design)

A/N: This one is absolutely for fun, but it was to get back into the ‘spirit’ of the AU and making art in general. With credit (as that’s...more than they really ask for, but I wanted to make sure I gave credit), I fixed up the above template made by AkyraKanton to make Nora a Station of Awakening, a-la Kingdom Hearts.

It’s unfinished, but came out really nice color-wise, and I was suddenly in the mood to make a gif out of something. It’s helped me get back into the swing of making art, and I may tweak the colors of the blog to match this.

Makes for a simple and gorgeous background/backdrop, detail or not. And the general look suits Steven as a whole, but I wanted to see if I could make it fit Nora, specifically.

And if that doesn’t look Magical Girl as FY-UCK, I dunno what does. She’s the lone Magical Girl in a universe full of Magical Boys.

May or may not ever actually end up finishing it, but I thought it would help for deep-diving into Nora as a character. Hope it looks cool!

...And yes. Nora’s hair DOES look like Sora’s. The joke will likely, inevitably be made a million times. (More than it already has.) So HAH, I’m beating everyone to it.

#Mr Universe AU #Mr-Universe-AU #Mr Universe AU Mun Talks #Mr Universe AU Off Topic #Gem Greg #Human Rose #Nora AU #Nora Demayo Universe #Steven Universe AU #SU AU #Station of Awakening #Kingdom Hearts Crossover #Not a Serious Post #But was a lot of fun anyway #Animation #Epilepsy warning #Epilepsy tw

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(Art: Two pencil-drawings of Spinel on lined paper, the left-most design more ‘chunky’ and youthful in shape, the right-most design more slender and stylized)

A/N: The reinvention of Spinel!

I know I’ve been gone a while, new apartment has been tiny, but really nice! The new job took some adjusting to, and I’m finally back to drawing. I have less to show than I intended, but I’m queuing a few things up, and I’m working on my next AU-post! (Asks will be answered much more quickly if there’s anything anyone wants to know!)

My original design for Spinel (click the clicky-link for the old design) was the best I could do to start re-thinking how Spinel might appear in this AU, but I wasn’t able to “push” his design hard enough for him to properly LOOK like “Spinel.” Enough of my designs felt like they were “missing” something, so I stopped and took some time to work back through what I had.

The drawing on the left was my first try at pushing his design more cartoon-y/rubberhose. The design on the right was me pushing the design even a bit further! That’ll be closer to how he appears here in the AU.

And yes, his hair will properly go ‘whoosh’ when he’s feeling particularly excitable. :P

More incoming! Stay tuned!

#Mr Universe AU #Mr-Universe-AU #Mr Universe AU Design Posts #Mr Universe AU Mun Talks #Gem Greg #Human Rose #Spinel #Steven Universe AU #SU AU #Yes #This is in actual pencil #I went old-school

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So is this an AU were all Gems have all basically gender-swapped?

A/N: I’m so glad someone finally asked this! :D The answer is so much more exciting than just "yes!” (It’s more of a, “Yes, but actually No. Sort of.”)

(ART AND MY NEXT POST INCOMING, I PROMISE! The AU has NOT been abandoned!)

In SU canon, gems have no gender. They’re beings of light whose bodies are literal rocks. That said, the gems all go by she/her. For simplicity, this AU is assuming that's a universal coincidence. If the gems were human, they would look like 'feminine' humans, so we "code" them ("we've projected [X human concept] onto [Y non-human species]") as "female non-binary.”

That's the easiest way for us to understand them, BECAUSE they aren't human, and have no sexes or genders at all. We (as humans) recognize the traits we're familiar with in others, to try to understand them. Things we don't recognize can look 'alien' to us, and these concepts can seem instinctively scary. Many of our cultures are SO heavily based in people being "male" or "female," it's hard for us to even conceptualize a species that's neither, and doesn't care.

As a society, the gems have no concept of gender at all. A gem's projected body is just the shape they choose to take. When the gems come to Earth, they can barely wrap their minds around the culture of an organic, and sexually dimorphic species. Y'know, a species where those of different organizations of chromosomes will look visually different?

If we take a look back at when the Crystal Gems first arrived on Earth, the designs they had lacked a lot of "secondary sex characteristics." Even some of the most "obviously feminine" of gems were largely flat-chested, had very few obvious curves, more angular bodies, and pretty boxy torsos. The exceptions were pretty exaggerated. (See: Rose Quartz, who already knew what humans were, and were utterly fascinated by them and what made them “different.”)

The longer a gem existed on Earth, and the more they reformed, the more recognizably "feminine" their appearance became. Some even tended towards a slightly more "masculine" appearance then before. Garnet became more shapely. Amethyst developed wider hips and more curves. Even Pearl began to sport a more obvious 'chest'. Why? They probably got used to "seeing" those traits in those around them.

Amethyst joined an underground wrestling ring, and then took the form of a huge, buff, male-looking wrestler. She probably wouldn't even be able to explain why she chose that form, beyond "it's what everyone else looks like."

It's clear that Amethyst isn't uncomfortable being seen as the Purple Puma, this mysterious MALE wrestler, which helps disguise her gem-related strength to some degree. The change in pronouns, the change in identifiers, it doesn't seem to phase her at all. She just thrives in having her chance to be 'someone else'. (And wreak some havoc.)

It's clear that, once exposed to a culture with gender roles for a few thousand years, the Crystal Gems began to take forms that expressed whatever they understood about 'gender', and identified with. Just not in a way they could ever actually explain. And part of the fun will actually be to explore what it is they've "figured out," what it does or doesn't mean to them, and which gems do or don't care at all.

So. What happens if, instead of being "Female Coded," they're all "Male Coded" instead?

Does anything happen at all?

The goal of this AU is to explore what happens when a sexless, genderless, non-binary species of alien space-rocks are swapped from "female-coded" to "male-coded." They still lack any concept of gender. They still lack any actual sexes of their own. They are still just space rocks. But when they arrive on Earth, they're as male-coded in this AU as they were female-coded in the original canon.

How will the humans around them react? Do they pick up on gender roles any more quickly, or less quickly? Will any gems find themselves choosing a more obviously "gendered" form they're more comfortable in, when living within a heavily gendered society? (We already know they do, canonically!)

And because the genders were swapped, instead of make Rose male, I simply made Greg the gem instead. Meaning we have Rose as the human parent. Because of Science, it's my assumption that she would only be able to (with a gem) create a child that had a physical X-chromosomed human body. Meaning we have a human-Rose, and a half-gem Nora. How does having a male-coded gem legacy hanging over her head affect her?

The only hint I will give here is that; In mind and personality? The gems themselves will not be changing at all. Their behaviors will not change, their personality will not change, their mannerisms will not change, etc. The only difference will be their appearance.

I want to show that, AS a species we think of as non-binary, they easily remain the exact same people, regardless of whether they take a "masculine" or "feminine" form. I'm only changing their appearance. They as PEOPLE are not changing at all, simply because they look "male" now. :)

And I wanna see how people react, what people do, and what people think.

#Mr Universe Au #Mr-Universe-Au #Mr Universe AU Blog Asks #Gem Greg #Human Rose #Nora AU #Steven Universe AU #SU AU #Gender Swap #But not actually #You can't swap a gender you never had #It's more that they've swapped the gender we perceive them as #And that they haven't actually changed at all #*fingerguns* #johan-the-unknown

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(Art: Spinel’s Gem-Weapon, a modified electric bass with a rejuvenator on the end)

A/N: I AM ALMOST DONE MOVING.

It’s been a VERY long two-weeks (the big moving-day was on the 17th, so we’ve been speed-running the un-boxing and building-shit process), thank you all again for your continued patience. We’re down to the last 5 boxes, are churning through massive laundry, and have almost settled in completely. @_@

Once I’m finished settling in, I’ll be able to return to drawing and posting and actually get that next story-post out to you all! But while you wait, here’s a preview of Spinel’s gem-weapon.

And yes. This IS his gem weapon. But it may be a hot minute before I explain further. >:3c

It’s been helping me work out how these gem-weapon mods might work, as I explore the limits of what a gem can and can’t change about themselves. And about what it takes for a gem to discover themselves enough to summon a weapon!

The next post will look a little different than the last two, but my goal is to have something a little more “consistent” that I can get out there (a little more easily) for those who want to read the story.

I hope you’ve all been doing okay!

#Mr Universe AU #Mr-Universe-AU #Mr Universe AU Design Posts #Mr Universe AU Mun Talks #Gem Greg #Human Rose #Spinel #Gem Weapons as Instruments #Gem Weapons #Steven Universe AU #SU AU

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A/N: !!! I’ve been noticed! !!!

And that’s definitely a huge part of it!

The original concept for the show was much more music-heavy, and a lot of it is an allegory for Steven being a musical genius who’s born with the skill but none of the practice. As the music improves throughout the show, so does his musical understanding!

So if you swap Rose for Greg, not much outright changes, but you better believe music is going to be even more front-and-center, even for the characters themselves!

AU where Gem weapons are musical instruments and the Crystal Gems must fight using the power of music.

#Mr Universe AU #Mr-Universe-AU #Mr Universe AU Mun Talks #Quartz #Rosalyn #Gem Greg #Human Rose #Steven Universe AU #SU AU #Gem Weapons as Instruments

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A/N: *HEAVY BREATHING*

GREM.

GREM THIS IS SO PRETTY.

GREM.

GREM I CAN’T.

GREM PLZ.

A little gift that I made for a friend a little tiny bit time ago! The Au is called “We’ll call you Mr. Universe”, is a very interesting Au to be honest! Go check them out if you want!!! @mr-universe-au

#Mr Universe AU #Mr-Universe-AU #Mr Universe AU Fanart #Gem Greg #Human Rose #Steven Universe AU #SU AU #AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA #It's officially AU canon #This happens when they try to fuse #aftermath-steven #<3

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(Art: Bismuth, Lapis, and Peridot)

A/N: HERE’S THE B-TEAM, AS PROMISED.

A little bit late, but it’s been a long week. So here’s 3 sketches in one! Peridot (new-to-Earth, sans-limb enhancers), Lapis Lazuli (initial design post-mirror), and Bismuth (initial design post-poofing, after the war) all just bein’ bros!

Peridot looks like a mix of boy-scout and sailor, but in a bad 80s exercise video. Pass it on.

Future designs to come, but I wanted to take a moment to thank all of you for being patient! There are SO MANY MORE OF YOU than I was ever expecting already, and I’m just about ready to jump into the next story-post!

:3 Here’s what things will look more like, going forward, style-wise. It’s easier and faster to draw this way, and I’m slowly adjusting to be able to draw things more dynamically.

Good things to come! And another special bonus-surprise coming up...

#Mr Universe AU #Mr-Universe-AU #Mr Universe AU Design Posts #Mr Universe AU Mun Talks #Gem Greg #Human Rose #Peridot #Lapis Lazuli #Lapis #Bismuth #B Team #Super Sketchy #SU AU #Steven Universe AU

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A/N: OH.

Wow, this snuck up on me!! I’ve been trying to get everything settled in the background, so that I’d have some posts ready for you-all! But since this AU is already catching fire, I should probably make a proper post for it.

I’m moving! Like, IRL! It’s happening in *counts* about 11 more days. Hence, I’ve been a little bit busy. But fret-not, this blog is not dead! And the AU is only just getting started. (I just thought I had a little more time before I’d be hitting any major milestones!)

Since we’ve already hit 500 followers (YEEZUS.) I should probably make a cool post for you-all! I want to show everyone here how much I appreciate the support! But between doing gross things like finding renter’s insurance and finishing up my own packing, I haven’t been able to figure out what to do.

Poll Time! What would you like to see? I’ll try to have these out within this next week, as My Gift To All Of You. It won’t be the next post, because of Reasons, but there are a couple things I can think of:

Some AU-related fusion sketches (Mr-Universe-AU Opal, Sugilite, etc)

B-Team sketches (Peridot+Lapis+Bismuth!)

Sketches of Nora and Connie, with bonus Connora/Noronnie fusion - because yes, Steven OR Nora, this comic will still likely involve Connverse

A sneak-peek at the AU’s Pink Animal Companion

(FEEL FREE TO MAKE SUGGESTIONS OF YOUR OWN! These came to mind, since they may not be showing up in the AU for a while. We’re going with the canonical timeline, give-or-take, with some filler shaved off.)

#Mr Universe AU #Mr-Universe-AU #Mr Universe AU Mun Talks

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Thank you for being patient!

A/N: I’ve been hiding in the background, steadily working on art and the how-to behind how I want to do things. I know there isn’t much AU-specific content here yet, and the main reason is: Art takes me a very long time to draw.

So the whole hidden-excuse for my Steven-Study was to work on varying the shapes, silhouettes, and features I draw, while seeing how long it took me to do each bust! I wanted to make sure I could keep every “Steven” I drew...looking like Steven. But I still wanted them to be recognizably that individual AU’s Steven. (And I think I actually pulled it off...especially when you see them all next to each other!)

My style has changed wildly throughout the last 20 years (yes, I have been actively drawing and working towards improving for the last 18-20 years), and I’m currently trying to perfect a certain visual “aesthetic” I love to see drawn. I’ve never been able to define the look I want my art to have, I just know I don’t see it “in the wild” very often. This latest attempt has been a nearly 5-year-process with a friend of mine! It’ll be faster and simpler to draw almost anything, but still look much like the way it does now. (Except I should be able to sketch, line, and color a single character in an hour or less, instead of 2-3.)

The next panel/post has been delayed in order for me to make things more consistent, and easier on myself. It’ll look better, going forward. But while I work, let me know if there are any other specific characters that you’d like to see! (Even if they don’t show up for a while!)

Lastly, I’ve gone all the way back through my posts (again) and corrected the tags, as the Tumblr mobile app broke my pinned master-links again. They should be working properly once more. Again.

Thank you for being patient! My ask-box is ALWAYS open!

#Mr Universe AU #Mr-Universe-AU #Mr Universe AU Mun Talks

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(Art: From left-to-right, top-to-bottom, we have:

Bear (Disarmed), False (Falsification), Amalgam (Amalgam)

Nora (Mr Universe), R-053 (Lab-Raised), Divided (Divided)

Grey (Grey), Roeven (Shatter World), Strawberry (Human Safety)

Broken (Homebroken), Repression (Repression), Aftermath (Aftermath), Eckhart (Eldritch Gems)

A/N: IT IS DONE.

The Stevens are FINISHED.

My Study is COMPLETED.

Here all 13 of these lovable Atlas-personalitied idiots in all their glory.

I LOVE these AUs, and they were all made by some of the nicest Muns!!! Definitely some of the darker-themed stories for SU out there, but by no means the darkest, or the most depressing. Just be prepared for what you may be getting into! I still HIGHLY recommend giving the ones you haven’t already seen a read!

They all look so vastly different when next to eachother than I was expecting...but they all still look like Steven

(It’s interesting to see which ones look more like Steven, more like Rose Quartz, more like Greg, and more like Pink Diamond...)

#Mr Universe AU #A Study In Stevens #Mr Universe AU Mun Talks #stevenuniverseanewchapter #theeldritchgemsau #topazillustrates #aftermath-steven #suau-grey #amalgamau #lab-raised-steven #su-homebroken-au #repression-au #shatter-world #human-safety-su-au #divided-steven-au

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(Art: Future-Nora!)

(CLICK HERE to see the rest of the Steven-Study!)

A/N: My turn!

I wanted to project things forward a bit, enough to figure a few things out about Nora! So here’s my own addition to the Steven-Study. :3c

Because she’s on the smaller side, and not as big as Rose Quartz, it’s unlikely she’d reasonably fill out the black Large-size shirts by the time she got to Future. So, interestingly enough, her palette would change in a different way.

After a “run-in” with something that slashes at the front of her shirt, she’ll come to find that letting her gem actually hit sunlight makes her feel better overall, and (much like discovering the joy of tagless shirts and taking scissors to all the shirt-tags you own) starts purposefully slashing the upper chest portions of her shirts.

She totally isn’t just taking after Amethyst. Of course not.

(But wow, her hair was slightly “larger” than I intended…)

This is my final “Steven!” Tomorrow, you’ll get to see all of Round One, all in one place! Just don’t ask me about if I’ll be doing a Round Two yet...

#Mr Universe AU #Mr-Universe-AU #Nora AU #Steven Universe AU #SU AU #Nora Demayo Universe #Mr Universe AU Design Posts #A Study In Stevens

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@aftermath-steven

(CLICK HERE to see the rest of the Steven-Study!)

IT. IS. DONE.

And I am SO glad that I was able to squeeze this last Steven in here! Worth. And very fun.

The nicest darned Mun- and A VERY PRETTY BOY. GOOD AU. Very pretty. Good art. Did I mention pretty? 10/10 would read again.

Will be posting the FULL study, with everyone all squished together into one piece. Stay tuned!!!

#A Study In Stevens #su au aftermath #aftermath steven #aftermath steven au #aftermath-steven #su au #steven universe au #Hi Grem!! :Dc

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@lab-raised-steven

(CLICK HERE to see the rest of the Steven-Study!)

I think this is definitely one of the more masculine looking Stevens I’ve done so far! And boy, that is a VERY square jaw! But it suits the Steven (and the AU) in question!

Another great story, and another great Mun. :3c

#A Study In Stevens #lab raised steven #r035 #adult r #societyslostone #lab-raised-steven #su au #steven universe au #HI KYMY!!

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I'm curious. Why did you have Quartz's gem moved from the stomach to his chest? Is it because he "follows his heart" in a sense?

A/N: I was waiting for this question. >:3c

A gem’s placement on their light-body says a lot about the type of “person” they are. It says a lot about their personality, and their reason for doing things.

Rose, from the show? She has a belly/sternum gem. Even though she turned the gem to show a different “face” later (huehuehue), the position didn’t change. According to the general consensus of the fandom/what we’ve been told, belly-gems are those who follow their gut-instinct on everything. They are often very loving and caring (maternal), and have a sort of “hunger” specific to something that interests them.

But Quartz, Here? He’s a lot less “maternal” than his wife. According to what we know of his canonical human-backstory, he does in-fact learn to “follow his heart,” instead of his gut. Greg is the type of person to yearn for something, and eventually chase after it. A lot of the other heart-gems are known to have intense emotions, and be fun-loving, but are also often “ruled” by the way that they feel. They can also be known for being extremely stubborn.

There seems to be an “at their best” and an “at their worst” that’s agreed-upon for each gem positioning, but the basic difference is this:

Rose is the type of person who wanted to run to Earth for Earth’s sake, to save the people there, and to learn more about them. She’s curious to a fault, and finds beauty in everything, and thinks of ‘humans’ sort of like helpless little animal-toys to be studied and played with. And when she fell in love, she had no problem throwing everything away to create something “new.”

Quartz is the type of person who wanted to run to Earth for his own sake, to save the people there out of respect for what they’ve created, and to give-back to them in return for what they taught him. (Namely, about music, which he credits as the source of his joy, his freedom, and his discovery of himself.) When he fell in love, he felt he had finally found his purpose: To choose something for himself, that had nothing to do with his “purpose” as a diamond.

Nora inherits her father’s chest-gem. And as such, my “Steven” will act accordingly. She’ll still be recognizably Steven, but you may find she does something a little ‘differently’ every so often...

#Mr Universe AU #Mr-Universe-AU #Mr Universe AU Blog Asks #Human Rose #Gem Greg #Nora AU #Greg as Pink Diamond #Quartz #Rose Quartz #Rose #Nora DeMayo Universe #Nora #Steven Universe AU #SU AU